Gray Guys/Girls Maturing Triathlete - Always OPEN (Page 4)

LOL - not exactly what I had in mind but it'll work!

I found that the scheduling thing was the only way to make things work for me.  I usually have a 10-12 week plan in place but try to sit down at some point on the weekend and go over the next week's workouts.  Then I can shuffle if I need to based on life and it also lets me focus on what's coming up that week - is it a hard week, an easier week, do I need to adjust any workouts, etc.  If I look too far ahead I start to feel a little overwhelmed, so I just take things one week at a time.  

Janet

Great job getting your run in!  And a little impromptu nap never hurt anyone. 

Sorry for so many posts in a row - I've been offline for a couple days and I'm trying to catch up.

So - where am I at?  I am in the middle of an intense cycling block - getting ready for the Tour of Sufferlandria in 3 weeks.  Cycling workouts 6 days a week plus some yoga workouts, not much in the way of running or swimming though.  Once the Tour is over I have a recovery week (no cycling but I'll start adding back in the running and swimming) and then start in on a 10 week Olympic distance plan.  The plan leads up to the Gateway tri in May.  I wasn't sure what to do after that but my tri club is planning to do a big, group event at a local race in July so I may sign up for that.  I'm thinking I'll go with a run focused plan for that but it will depend on how the race in May goes.  

Janet

Hey Kris,

I had said a few days ago I'd get back to you with some thoughts on getting your training started.  Alright, I know I said "later today."  I sometimes suffer from a casual relationship with time!  LOL

For the sake of what I am about to say, I am going to make the assumption you are, as you said, "a true beginner" with little or no formal structured training in your background.  You mentioned you like to swim, bike, and walk/jog so that implies you have some base fitness but I'm going to start at the very beginning so that you can pick and choose what is appropriate for your current level.

You are likely familiar with "exercise."  It's important to understand that while training is exercise, exercise is not necessarily training.  Exercise is physical activity done for it's own sake - gaining fitness, losing weight, simply to feel better.  Training on the other hand is physical activity done for the purpose of fulfilling a long-term performance goal - training is exercise with a purpose.  Going from exercise - even regular exercise - to training can be a surprising shock to the body.  So the very first thing that needs to happen is a new athlete should "train-to-train" so that you can develop a base level of fitness without overwhelming your body.

Start slow and build up.  You don't want to go from zero exercise to 6-hours a day.  Your body will simply shut down and say, "NO."  Gradually build up to increasing volume (distance and/or time).

I'm going to start with the swim.  Not because I spoke swimming as my first athletic language but because swimming is highly technical and the one discipline that many triathletes struggle with. If you don't have reasonably good technique, you will simply be trying to beat the water into submission.  You will be exhausted in a very few short moments and you won't be going very far very fast.  My very best suggestion is that you find a qualified coach or instructor that can provide lessons.  One thing that it seems a VAST majority of "adult-onset" swimmers have overlooked is learning the fundamentals of swimming.  On my old website I have an article that goes through learning the fundamentals and working up to proper freestyle swimming -

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/stroke-technique/31-novice/77-freestyle-from-the-beginning

Once you have gotten through the fundamentals and are swimming freestyle, you can progress to my novice workout plan that will guide you to the swim fitness needed to begin most sprint training plans.

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/workouts/novice

Next up is cycling.  You mentioned you love riding.  My best advice is to do just that.  Go out and ride - three or four times a week.  Maybe begin with 30-minutes or whatever duration you are comfortable with.  I wouldn't be overly concerned with speed at first, just simply go ride.  On each successive ride, go just a couple more minutes.  I see you are in Michigan so "going out and riding" may be easier said then done.  There are a couple options - assuming you have a road bike, you can purchase a trainer ($200-400 depending upon model) so you can ride indoors, or you can go to a gym and ride a spin bike.  The spin bike isn't the best option but it is better than not riding due to weather.  In any case, just casually get on a bike and ride.  If you are riding the full duration of the swimming novice plan, then like swimming, your cycling will be at a level that you can begin a sprint training plan.

Finally there is running.  If you aren't already a runner or comfortable running at least a mile, I would suggest a "Couch-to-5k" (C25K) plan.  You can search for a C25K plan and download it to your smart phone.  Most of the C25K plans are 12-week plans that will take you from mostly walking and some running to all running.  It's done in very gradual steps so you progress naturally.

As you are progressing through those first steps, you can take a look at the sprint triathlon training plans here on BT (click "Training Plans" at the top of the page, then select "Free" under the membership drop down, or you can also look at the various paid plans).

Hope that helps and know you will have your Gray Guys/Gals family here that can answer any questions you might have as you move forward.

I have an athlete I've been working with for a while that also spends an immense amount of time on recovery activity.  I'm continually amazed how much peripheral time she puts in - foam rolling, pre-stretching, post-stretching, icing, ice-baths, PT exercises, the list goes on and on.  A one-hour workout takes nearly three hours by the time everything else is added in

All that highlights one of the biggest changes as we get older - recovery time increases.  Back when I was in high school I could swim a couple hours in the morning, run an hour after school, strength train before afternoon swim workout, then get in the pool for a few more hours, never mind I could eat dirt while I was doing all that.  Then I could bounce back and do it all again the next day.  Now, not so much.  Whether it's an injury, or a hard workout, recovery just takes longer.  That's the problem with vast majority of the pre-written training plans available today - they don't reflect the recovery needs of the maturing athlete.  You can use those plans, but you will likely need to build in additional recovery time to stay healthy.

LOL, I need a nap now!

Hey Kris,

Sorry, I missed this question.

There's is a place you can get all of your equipment questions answered in more detail then you probably ever need.  D.C. Rainmaker reviews virtually all of the exercise technology available - including watches.  It just so happens that he has reviewed the Apple watch .  You can read his review here - 

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/11/apple-watch-series3-cellular-fitness-sport-review.html

Hope that answers the question.

I'd like to join the group again if you don't mind.

Name - George Z. 

Story - Life Long couch potato.  Adult onset almost athlete.  Started swimming in 2012/ Running and cycling in 2011 all at the age of 61.  I made the mistake of watching Ironman Canada in 2010 and got inspired thinking, "I can do that." and in 2012 I ran my first two sprints.

Family Status - Married to my favourite Sherpa 26 years with 3 daughters and one son.  All more active than I ever was but only one triathlete.  Plus an assortment of grandkids (7#) and great grandkids (2#).

Current Training - About 4.5 hours per week.  I trained hard all last year building up to a long course race (2/3rds of an IM distance) and then really lost my mojo and I'm still trying to get it back.  Even without my mojo I managed to run two half marathons in October and November 2017 and enjoyed them both very much.  I've done over 5 HIM and an assortment of Oly's, sprints, Granfondo's and long swims.  I've finished with a few podiums and more than my share of last place finishes.  This year my race age is 68.

2018 Goal - I'm still struggling to get inspired again and I am just barely swimming and cycling while I've been unable to run at all since my last half marathon in November.  I am planning to run on Wednesday and I need to workout at least 8 hours per week.  My 2018 main goal for the bike will be to STAY ON(!).  I lost count on how many falls I had in 2017.  There were 5 for sure with one fairly serious.  Road rash literally in the same place every time.

Planned Races - So far I've registered for the Cherry Blossom Sprint in May with a goal of doing the run in 30 minutes.  I will also register for our local Granfondo but only a 92 Km distance not my usual 126 km distance.  Beyond that I have no desire to do anything else but even that I'm having trouble with as well. A group of friends have signed up for IM Arizona this year and Challenge Roth next year.  I'd love to go with them but it is not likely to happen.

Weight Loss - I've been fighting not to gain weight through the last two months but it is quite a hard fight as I'm training at about half  my usual intensity and time.

As a mentee I have the occasional good suggestions and I do like to encourage others.

Scott - Thanks for the heads up on the group.  I've been lurking but fully intending to join the group again.  I think I need the inspiration to get me going again.  I sort of feel it in spurts interspersed with bouts of apathy.

Steve - Good to see you're back again.

George!

Welcome back!  It just wouldn't be the same if you weren't here.

One step at a time, one workout at a time, one day at a time - in no time at all you'll have your mojo back in full force!

Recovery - yeah, I think that's a big part of why I get all the little niggling injuries and soreness, I just don't do it enough.  My doctor has given me exercises to do for my knee and hip but do I do them?  Not very often, so I'm not really getting over my issues.  You'd think that would motivate me to do them, and I do tell myself "foam roll, stretch,etc after this workout" but it rarely gets done.  I'm usually just glad to get through the workout and don't want to do anything else.  Maybe if I make it part of the workout with no break in between instead of another step, I'll do it more often.   

Janet

Late last night, right after I posted my "Bio" here, I received an email directing me to the Triathlon documentary, "The Last Mile." which features myself and 3 other athletes racing last August.  I was shocked at how I actually looked as I finished the run compared to how I felt.  At the finish line my coach shocked me by hugging me most heartily and Two fellows I trained with all year long were also right beside me.  

So please watch the video if you feel like it (there won't be a test):

Congrats on signing up!  I usually renew my membership yearly if I'm planning to run at least some USAT certified races.  If you do at least 3, the membership pretty much pays for itself ($15 each for 3 individual races versus $50 for the yearly membership).  There are some extra benefits to having the yearly membership - some discounts and such - and I know they're making some changes this year.  Not all races are USAT certified though so not all will require the one day membership - depends on the race management.  Here they're split about 50/50, so it's really a personal preference. 

Janet

Hey Steve,

Yes, I know who Tom is.  I'd met him once but we didn't really know each other.  He was indeed a Southern California boy as he attended and swam at UCLA.  I know that because my little sister was there at UCLA at the same time.  He was a couple Olympic cycles behind me.  He swam in the ;88 games and won several medals, and if memory serves he also won a couple more medals at the '92 games.  I do remember he held the 50 m freestyle World Record a couple different times.  He was a very good sprinter and I heard he went on to a coaching career which is apparently the case.

So . . . did you actually get in a pool, or is that moment past? 

Scott ... hope all are well and I guess it's time to get back in gear.  I've begun some training over the last couple of weeks, but it's time to get structured and down to business. 

Name - Dorm, racing age for 2018 is 61.

Story - Historically, I didn't start any kind of training before I turned 54.  Except for woodworking, golf and snow skiing, I was pretty much a couch potato.  I retired from a paying job on Jan1, 2015 and now seem busier than ever!

I started cycling during the fall of 2010 and decided to do my first tri in March of 2011. I still remember the inspiration to start doing triathlons, even though this was many years ago.  I was cycling with 2 of my sons-in-law (SIL) in 2010 and we had stopped to allow people to run across the road.  These were running across the road, after swimming across the ocean sound in Wrightsville Beach, NC.  One very fit, white haired woman had a huge smile on her face and as she ran in front of me, she looked me right in the eye and her look said," I'm doing this and you're not ... why not!" I asked one SIL what's going on here - what is this, and he said some sort of race - but didn't really know what is was.  I later realized this was a triathlon in Wrightsville Beach and after looking at ages, speeds, sizes and results felt I could definitely participate.  I'd never be podium material, but I could still do it.

2018 will be my 7th season of Triathlons; perhaps one Granfondo and general training. Cycling is my strongest discipline of the 3 sports.  My cycling seems to have gotten slower each year, but I've also increased my distance quite a bit from when I was faster.  So this seems a bit of a trade-off.  Running - I simply hate running, but thru this group last year, found that the more, longer and further I run at a slower pace - the better (easier) it is for me.  I don't run quite at the Maffetone level, but not far from it either.  I've found the slower pace to be much easier on my joints and I can get in a good distance (for me) with much less pain and joint soreness than with running at a hard pace.

Family - A very good supportive wife.  We have 3 grown/married daughters and 6 grand kids.  I've competed along with my 3 daughters and two SILs in several triathlons and duathlons over the past few years. Also 2 SIL's cycle and are great fun to ride with ... one is a brutal coach as well.

Current training schedule involves ~3 ... 1hr to 1-1/2 hr sessions per week.  I usually go skiing a few weeks during late Jan - early Feb and so aside from spin,run,swim - I'll also work in some strength training for the ski trip ... mainly leg work. 

Cycling training is done while following plans ones on here had used over the years.  One SIL trains using ZWIFT, and I am intrigued at some of the workouts posted on there and feel I may give ZWIFT a try.  

2018 Races: - Tentatively: Azalea Sprint, 3-Little Pigs Sprint and the Mountains of Misery Grand Fondo.

Weightloss - @#$%***, Ones returning from last year have read my whining about this subject.  My efforts this year will continue on this impossible journey.  I've had some good results of late, mainly thru a hi-protein, no dairy, bread, legumes, etc.  I'd be really excited to drop 25lbs prior to first race and hold throughout the year.

I'm looking forward to meeting new ones with group and hopefully ones returning from last year as well.

Ciao ... Dorm

Hey Dorm!

Welcome back!  Glad you are joining us again for another season.

There are a number of people that have echo'd your sentiments about weight loss . . . or did you echo theirs?  In any case, I think we are going to get a weight loss challenge going in the next week or so - we still have new people drifting in so we'll give it a few more days.

Looking forward to your insights again this year.

Dorm - Glad to see you're back.

I find my cycling is definitely in a downhill slide each year but on the bright side  my swimming and running have been improving.  I'm still slow but not quite as bad as I was.

I find I can swim or bike all I want and not lose a pound but when I run I lose weight.

Bryan - My wife assures me that no one looks good in a wetsuit.  I know mine adds 30 lbs to my waist.  And, I had trouble getting on my first wetsuit as well.  I had my wife and a sales lady in tears laughing at me struggling to put on my wetsuit like a very tight girdle.  But, very quickly I got better at it and lost a few inches (not pounds) so now I can put it on a lot quicker.

Some basic wetsuit rules:

Keep your fingernails trimmed short and when you pull the wetsuit up pull it from the inside material.

Putting on the wetsuit make sure you pull it up really high - until you're singing soprano high.  If it is not high enough it will strain your shoulders and tire you out more quickly.

Some people need body glide to apply to areas that are prone to chafing.  I've been lucky not to have any issues but I know some people have a lot of trouble with it.

Some people find that using gloves to pull the wetsuit on with can help and others put plastic bags over their feet to pull the wetsuit onto their legs and then put them on their hands.  I needed them for the first time I put on my wetsuit but I've never needed them since then and I've worn my suit for 6 years (about 180 outdoor swims so far and I expect to get a couple more years out of it).

Hopefully you have a friend or a few that you can swim in open water with.  I love swimming out into the middle of a lake then just stopping to look around for a few moments (although one time I had 3 vultures circling around me when I stopped in the middle of a lake).